Strong S. Africans should challenge for title

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -- South Africa have finished first, second and third at the last three African Nations Cup finals and are hoping to get to at least the last four again.

Coach Carlos Queiroz has picked his strongest possible squad, albeit with much cajoling and threatening, and although he is reluctant to make any predictions, he has set a place in the semifinals as the team's goal for the upcoming finals in Mali.

Queiroz, who also qualified the South African side for the World Cup finals later this year, had first intended taking a second-string squad to the Nations Cup to prepare fringe players for possible World Cup selection later in the year and also rest key European-based players.

But he mis-calculated the political fallout from the announcement of his plans and came under intense criticism for his decision, later back-tracking on the idea and picking a full-strength side for Mali.

But many of his key players, including captain Shaun Bartlett, were reluctant to join up with the squad because they claimed they had been promised they would be allowed to stay with their European-based clubs during the tournament and only called up for the World Cup in June.

Queiroz denied having made the promises and last week the South African Football Association sought FIFA's help in persuading Bartlett, Italian-based striker Siyabonga Nomvete and the giant goalkeeper Hans Vonk, from Dutch club SC Heerenveen, to belatedly travel to South Africa for the pre-tournament training camp.

RELUCTANT STARS

The players finally agreed to go to Mali but Queiroz has been accused of 'dragging reluctant stars' to the African Nations Cup finals by a critical local media.

The controversy has overshadowed preparations for the tournament and checked enthusiasm from supporters over the country's chances.

But South Africa are still able to field a formidable team and have an experienced squad for the competition, including two players from the side that won the 1996 title.

The majority of the players are based in Europe, where the likes of Sibusiso Zuma and defender Jacob Lekgetho have played regularly in the European club competition over the last year.

Zuma has emerged as the new star of South African football and makes his Nations Cup debut with a mass of expectation of his shoulders.

The FC Copenhagen winger leads the right hand flank of a swift South Africa attack but the team are even stronger on the left with the pace of German-based Delron Buckley and Manchester United's Quinton Fortune.

Bartlett, from English premier league club Charlton Athletic, will head the attack, having finished the last Nations Cup finals in Nigeria and Ghana two years ago as the tournament's leading goal scorer.

There are also high hopes for a return to form for Benni McCarthy, who was the joint top scorer in 1998 but whose career has been in the doldrums at Celta Vigo in Spain over the last 12 months.

His recent loan move to FC Porto in Portugal has seemingly revitalised his form and the 24-year-old has looked the best player in training ahead of the team's departure for Mali.

South Africa open their group B campaign against Burkina Faso and also face Ghana and Morocco in their opening round group matches in Segou. Bafana Bafana have an unbeaten record against all three countries.

 

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